Sunday, June 8, 2008

Happy World Ocean Day!

Thanks on behalf of the Ecology Action Centre and the Loop Craft Cafe to everybody who stitched up a creature feature over the last two months or otherwise helped create our Northwest Atlantic sea floor ecosystem. Another round of thanks to those who came to visit our display on the Halifax Waterfront, where we joined up with dozens of other local ocean-related organizations to celebrate World Ocean Day. It was a fabulous sunny day and organizers counted more visitors than ever this year.

Over 300 school kids visited our Stitchin’ Fish sea floor, taking time to learn all about sea cucumbers, squid, crabs, bubblegum trees and other fascinating denizens of the deep. Unlike the remote floor of the Scotian Shelf, this crafted version allowed for lots of hands-on contact and tactile interactions. We can only hope that this cuddle time with our woolly marine ecosystem will take root in this next generation of fishers, scientists, managers, and seafood consumers – and help cultivate our deep and essential relationship with the ocean...

... because it’s kinda like President George W. Bush once said: "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."